Last month, the Trump administration announced that the U.S. military had successfully cleared Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz, restoring commercial traffic through the critical waterway amid an escalating conflict with Tehran. The mission was especially daunting as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) admitted it didn’t even know where all the mines had been planted. Which raises the million-dollar question, how did we do it? 

According to the Financial Times, the United States deployed Navy SEALs, one of the most elite fighting forces in the world, who spent four months clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz.

Special forces divers worked alongside the Navy’s Common Uncrewed Surface Vessel, a drone boat that tows sonar-equipped submersibles. The operation unfolded under cover of night as the submersibles would locate the mines and ensure the surrounding area was clear, then a SEAL would jump into the water, approach the mine, fix an explosive charge to it, and destroy it. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Navy SEALs cleared about 80 mines over the month of June alone. The operation, though dangerous, resulted in zero American casualties.

This comes months after U.S. Central Command began targeting mine-laying vessels in the Strait. Just last week, however, Iran shifted its strategy, firing missiles over the Strait that deployed mines. In response, the U.S. military targeted those missile launchers, prompting retaliatory Iranian strikes on American forces in Jordan.

However much Iran continues to pose a threat, traffic through the critical waterway has continued to increase over the last several weeks. According to U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center data, nearly 200 ships navigated the strait in a single week last month, up from just 40 two weeks earlier, a nearly 400 percent surge. 

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U.S. Central Command also reported that American forces have assisted approximately 1,300 commercial vessels in transiting the Strait of Hormuz since early May 2026, enabling the movement of more than 660 million barrels of crude oil. 

The operation helped drive gas prices down, a major concern for Americans across the country. Compounding the relief, September 1 marked the first day off the summer fuel blend thanks to the Trump administration, offering Americans additional savings.